My Voice or His

We surely have all met people along our journeys who tell us that they have heard the voice of God. Then they proceed to do or say something bizarre. 

Paul wrote to the gathering of followers in Rome, “It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are Children of God.” Romans 8:16

John Wesley pondered that thought and wrote, “How many have mistaken the voice of their own imagination for this witness of the Spirit of God, and thence idly presumed they were the children of God while they were doing the works of the Devil!” 

This resembles the question, “How do you know that you are not self-aware?”

How do you know that it simply your own imagination, your own cognitive biases rather than the Spirit talking to you?

For me, the answer to the first question came from an incident where I suddenly saw myself as others saw me. Sometimes it takes an intervention by friends or a statement by a speaker where we suddenly have our eyes opened.

The second answer may have been provoked by a similar incident. We could also test our ideas with Scripture and/or respected spiritual writers. Conversations with mentors or professionals could guide us if we have strayed from the path.

Becoming aware of straying onto a false path or of deluding ourselves constitutes our life’s work.

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